FLIA Dialogue: Our labor unions are dead?

-- Frances Fox Piven interviewed by FLIA

They are not dead, no. But they are “enormously weakened by 35 years’ of employer attacks,” said Frances Fox-Piven. And the political environment for American workers is “terrible.”

The Foundation for Law and International Affairs (FLIA) recently interviewed Frances Fox Piven, as an episode of FLIA Dialogue, focusing on the current status and the historical changes of American labor unions.

Early in the history, labor was brutally suppressed. Corporations even hired a private police force – The Pinkertons – who were once even once bigger than the U.S. Army. “With clubs and guns,” under the instructions from the corporations, this private police force was “regularly brought in by employers to bust union efforts.”

FLIA Dialogue: Interview of Margereth Etienne

The Problem of Wrongful Convictions in U.S. Criminal Justice System

Margareth Etienne is the associate dean for graduate and international programs in College of Law, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Professor Etienne earned her J.D. degree from Yale Law School. Before joining the Illinois Faculty in 2001, she practiced criminal law for several years. Her research focuses on legal decision-making and ethics in institutions ranging from criminal courts to schools and families.

Recently, the documentary – Making a Murderer – has caught a global attention to the criminal justice system in U.S. It explores the story of Steven Avery, a man in Wisconsin, who served 18 years in prison for the sexual assault and attempted murder of Penny Beerntsen. He was exonerated with the aid of the Innocence Project in 2003. After he was released from prison, he filed a $36 million civil lawsuit against government officials associated with his arrest.

FLIA Dialogue: Professor Larry Backer and Professor Liao shiping

Globalization, Corporation Social Responsibility, policy and law, and TPP, the conversation between Backer and Professor Liao on these hot topics is intriguing and thought provoking. Here is the edited audio transcript of the conversation for our readers.

The construction of new global framework is significant impacts by the nature of the state. One cannot understand the state, one cannot understand global regulatory framework. The closer you look, you more you can see the necessity of the intimate connection thereof.

FLIA Dialogue

FLIA Dialogue is a talk program that interviews guests, including scholars, politicians, lawyers, public figures, and key players in social events involving the intersection of law and international affairs. FLIA Dialogue believes passionately in the power of academic talk and professional analysis in building awareness, inspiring young students, and promoting the dissemination of ideas.